Goodness in a Little Box
by goddess-lil-angel
Summary: final fantasy 3 (6) retold through a new P.O.V. What if Terra never came into the picture? Relm finally gets her own story. Why is the empire after her and what is her new connection to espers?
1. Black Devil

Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this well. . . If I had millions of dollars I would buy this. But I don't so I guess this isn't mine. None of it is.

In case you need me I will be in the corner crying now. O-hey this is my first fanfic. So please review. I have noticed that there are not a ton of Relm fans here so if you are one please review. Thanx.

Oh yeah there are quotes at the beginning of every chapter. I put them there cause they're interesting and my sister gave them to me. So I don't own them either. I don't even know where most of them are from. And they probably have nothing to do with the chapter most of the time so. . . Have Fun

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Goodness in a little box

Chapter 1 Black Devil

For I do not do the good I want,

but the evil I do not want is what I do.

"Leave me alone!" The girl screamed. What else could she do? She was only 6, she was surrounded by monsters, and she had no idea how to fight by herself. "Where are you Grandpa?" She whimpered quietly.

This 6 year old blonde was named Relm. She knew never to travel outside of Thamasa by herself, but she was never one to listen to directions. She stared at the ground panting. She had run for the last 15 minutes, trying to get away from these huge beasts. What little Relm didn't know was that these were not just monsters, these were Chimeras. These mythical beasts were the strongest ones on her island.

'_Why was I left alone? Do they hate me this much?_' Relm knew that she was about to die if she didn't think of something. But all she thought of was how alone she was. _'First Dad and Mom. And now Grandpa would not even care if I was eaten up.'_ Then she couldn't take it. She yelled, "What do you want me to do?" And then fell to the ground, sobbing.

The Chimeras were obviously a little confused, they tilted their heads slightly. Perhaps they had never had a victim act like this before. 'Sure Relm, sit there and feel sorry for yourself. You are a stubborn kid who can do anything. Think!' She didn't know what else she could do. So she cried. The tears were starting to spill over her eyes when she saw something, something quick. She tried to wipe her eyes, but she kept crying. She couldn't see anything through all the tears.

Then she saw it again, something black and quick. This time she looked up and realized that all the Chimeras were all dead. The bodies all around her. She had never seen so much blood. All the blood everywhere. Goddess, there was blood. There was something strange about all of this. Something had changed, but now wasn't the time to think. Chimera's were attracted to blood and more could be here any second.

Suddenly she was staring straight into the eyes of a beast. Huge, black, cat-like eyes staring straight at her. They were piercing her soul. The last thing she remembered was falling and hearing something. Someone was yelling her name, but she was to tired. She needed a nap. She was to young for all of this so she slept for hours.

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She woke up and sat straight up. She bumped her head on something. "Owwww!"

"Yeaoooh!"

She looked around and realized that this was her bedroom. And her Grandpa looked very angry, "What do you think your doin' kiddo? That was quite at shock you had."

"What? What shock?"

"Well, first I have a question youngin'. How did you get into that battlefield?"

"It wasn't a battlefield when I got there, DUH." So she told him all about the beautiful cliff she found and the inspiration. She didn't want to have no Fuddy-duddy ruining it for her (at this, Strago twitched his mustache to show he didn't think he was a 'fuddy-duddy'), so she packed up her supplies and left. That was when she got lost.

"And I wouldn't have if you had let me go out before."

"Sure blame the not-so-old-man for all your. . ."

"Umm. . .Excuse me this is my fic. .umm . . I mean story." She continued with her story. When she got to the part about the Chimeras chasing her Strago got a little upset. "You were being. . CHASED!!! I should have been---"

"Please stop. I am okay and that is all that matters. Well, that was when it saved me."

"It ?? What was an it??"

"I don't know. It was huge, black, and really strong. It took on 7 Chimeras, and won. It was scary and . . .I can't even describe it." She knew that the 'black' was not completely evil. It was scary and strange, but it did save her. How could she explain that to this superstitious old man.

"This 'black' thing, was it a devil? It had to have been. . . Nothing else could take down 7 Chimeras that easily."

"But it saved me." Relm replied quietly. 'It was something different and alone, but not evil. Why would something evil protect me?'

All the while Strago stared at Relm, who seemed deep in thought. She wasn't really his, not by blood anyway. When he found her, he knew she would be strong. He tried so hard to teach her that all magic could be good or bad, but she always seemed to be thinking about something else. Never interested in magic, all children in the village could use it but her.

She only showed an interest in drawing. Only drawing, not playing with kids, not playing video games, only drawing. But was that so wrong? Did it have something to do with her past? Or was this devil just some figment of her imagination?

Relm, knowing none of this, just smiled as her grandfather appeared deep in thought. "Grandpa, will you teach me how to fight? I don't want to need anybody's help." 'Especially, a devil's help.'

This little 6-year old was the most independent person Strago knew. She stood up beside the bed at her full height of almost 3-feet. This little girl stood straight up next to her grandfather. And he smiled down at her, not knowing how hard she would have to fight to live though the next few years. And she would fight.

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Well That was it for chapter one I swear the next will be longer. O-yeah, like I said I would really like reviews. I also like puppies and rainbows and . . .Wait what? O right Please review. 


	2. Fighting for Your Life

I guess that this is the second chapter. Well, that's it. Oh, by the way. . . Please review.

Disclaimer: Yeah umm I am working on that whole 'make a million dollars' thing. Not working out well. So until then I guess Relm and this games still belongs to them.

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Chapter 2Running For Your Life

Life is without meaning.  
You bring meaning to it.  
The meaning of life is what ever you ascribe to it.  
Being alive is the meaning.

Joseph Campbell

Panting, again. '_Is that all you ever do, run and run some more?_' Well, now wasn't the time to be arguing with herself. She needed to think of something. Relm was being tested and she wasn't one to fail. This was her final test to get into the Elite Magi Warriors. She would be the youngest Magi Warrior ever, at age ten. '_Yeah, I can do this. Thamasa history books here I come.'_

Most Magi Warriors were about 35 or 40 before being accepted as an Elite. Relm had gotten to know many of the warriors over the past 4 years, and she found out one thing: old people are boring. Gosh, can't they make new memories and stop living in the past. Well, she knew she could change all that.

She was determined to be accepted by them and to become the strongest of them all. She had been so motivated since she was about 6. _Why?_ She couldn't even remember why anymore. All she knew was that she had to be strong and not be a burden on her grandpa. That was why she was stuck here now, once again, running for her life.

Her last test was to find the entrance to the cave on the western side of the island. '_And they said that the monsters were the only thing to worry about_.' Well, she would soon prove them wrong. Relm found the cave with ease but there was another part to the test: Find the statues of the goddesses and read the inscription. Then she had to return and tell the inscription to the old guy. . .umm . . . Elder.

Shortly after entering the cave, she found a huge room. It seemed like there was nothing in it. She walked into the room and looked around. In the center of the room were three golden statues. A beam of light came down from the ceiling and the statues made a circle around it. She found the Goddess Statues! Now all she had to do was read them and go home. Nothing impressive to read about; it just talked about the creation of the whole UNIVERSE.

'_Yeah, that's all well and good, but did anybody mention how to get out? Sure, they send in a curious 10 year old and don't expect her to look for a quick way out_.' Okay. While she was exploring the cave some more, she found a room where light seemed to falling in from the roof of the cave in 3 different spots. She looked around and realized that the light wasn't coming from the ceiling, it was coming from the floor! But there were no holes in the ground. It was as if the rocks themselves were creating the light. Rocks doesn't normally do that, right?

Well, she did what any true 10 year old would do. She did something she wasn't supposed to. Which was to step onto the one of the three points of light. The first two teleported her to different places in the cave that she had already been. And the last took her to a new area that was a large empty cavern. In it was nothing but the way out.

Well there was nothing there when she teleported in. After walking around for a while, and searching every crevice, she decided there was nothing. So she went to leave, until the entire room lit up with a holy light. But holy was not how to describe the new visitor. He looked like night itself and, as it stood next to the wall, it seemed to engulf the entire room. All of the cavern started to become as dark as the visitor.

This is why she ran. She knew that she had to get away from this creature. It seemed to be pure evil. She ran almost the whole way back to the entrance of the cave when she finally ran out of breath. "Remember when you get back, 'buy a pair of Sprint Shoes." She told herself. Finally she got her breath back. She once again looked around the entrance to the cave.

"Was it always this dark?" She stopped. "Oh Nooo!" She tried to run, but it was to late; something dark was standing in front of the entrance to the cave. "Why does everything have to be so fast." She was to angry right now to care that she was talking to a living shadow.

"Well somebody is ungrateful." '_What? Ok, I did not just hear a shadow creature talk to me. I Did Not!'_

She pulled out the small dagger, that she kept only for emergencies, and stood in her favorite attack pose. She heard a noise from the shadow, it was something between a growl and a laugh. "What are you laughing at me for?"

She ran forward towards the entrance with the dagger. All she intended to do was get through it to the entrance, but the shadow took a solid form. It looked just like a normal person with dark skin and eyes, about 20. There was something about his eyes. . .There was something wrong with the pupils. They were like cat's eyes, slanted vertically instead of round. Everything about him seemed dark except his sparkling blonde hair that stood out among his dark features. He had a smirk and was holding a sword lazily in his hands. "Phantom has no time to fight children."

"Good, I see no children here." Relm replied ready to strike. She was trained well with a sword. Her speciality was her agility though. She was fast enough that nobody could touch her (if she didn't want them to.) She wasn't sure what she was doing. _'He is a freakin' shadow. How do you kill a shadow?'_ With that thought she quickly lunged forward.

It really seemed unfair, a small girl with a small dagger against a tall man with a huge, glowing sword. But, despite the obvious size and weapon difference, Relm was holding her own. She even managed to get her back to the entrance for a quick escape if she needed it. The only problem was that they were an equal match. '_Darn, this shadow. I am one of the strongest in my village and I can't even beat this thing_.'

"I am Phantom. Not a shadow." The dark haired man said. "Just in case you didn't know, there is a difference." She continued to dodge his attacks. She was about to make another strike for him when . . .

'_Wait._' She stopped with her dagger in mid-strike. _'I didn't say that out loud. I know I didn't.'_

"Well, you are quite right. You thought it." He stood still as well.

"Now you are telling that you are not only as good as me, but you also read my mind. This is ridiculous."

"No more ridiculous than a 10 year old trying to find a way into The Elite Magi Warriors. You have trained for the last 4 years and have achieved a level of refinement that it took those men over 20 years to attain."

"Well, it didn't take you to long." She looked again at the man in front of her. He couldn't be older than 25.

"Actually the only way I could keep up with you was because you think far enough ahead that I could read your mind and move to counter before you had even struck." That was it. She knew he had to have cheated. She was the strongest person in the village again. "But that is not all. . ." He looked around slowly. "I have also had 275 years of practice."

That was a jaw-dropper. _'He can't be human. No way. But what. . .'_

"Don't even think that! I am not a demon. I am what your people call an esper."

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ok that was chapter 2. Hope you enjoyed it. Well I got this way cool idea for the rest of this story. I have to hurry. 


	3. What About Me?

Well, I am still not sure if anyone is even reading it. I only got one review and that was because I blackmailed her. So some more people had better review or I will get a lot more blackmail information.

Disclaimer: Hey if you own squaresoft, can I have it? Cause I don't own it. Wahhhhh. Nor do I own the quote.

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Chapter 3What about me??

Because a thing seems difficult for you  
Do not think it is impossible.

"You're a . . .Yeah sure." Relm just rolled her eyes. No way was this an esper.

"You don't believe me?" Strange, he looked kind of hurt that she didn't believe him. Maybe. . .but that just couldn't be. Espers were beings with magical powers that were said to lived with humans a long time ago. Until the humans became greedy and hungered for their powers. You could steal an esper power by killing it and you could learn magic. But, most people didn't believe that they even existed. Relm knew better.

The people of Thamasa used the powers of espers a long time ago. That was why the citizens could use magic. The problem was that over the last hundred years the power has begun to fade. Now they didn't have the ability to cast spells of any real power. Maybe he could be. . .But wait . . .Grandpa Strago had told her something. . .

"Wait, espers left our world and created their own. Yeah, that was it. They made their own world in the sealed cave. If. . .If you are an esper what are you doing away from your world?" That would get him. He could never have known about the sealed cave. _'Ha ha. . . that will show him.'_

"Have you ever heard of Emperor Gehstal?" The look in Relm's big emerald eyes showed that she hadn't even expected him to answer her. Let alone ask her a question that she had no idea about. "Okay, I guess that is a no."

"Well nobody is allowed to leave Thamasa unless they have been ordered to by the Mayor. So, why should I care anyway? This has nothing to do with me." She turned away, walking towards the exit. "Why am I even talking to you? You tried to kill me 3 minutes ago."

Suddenly the entire room went dark again. He was shielding the exit and that seemed to be the only source of light. Suddenly a voice from the ceiling called out, "You Drew A Weapon To Me! And don't forget that."

"Fine, I don't care now. I need to get home. The Elite Magi Warriors are . . "

"That right." The Phantom suddenly appeared infront of the exit again. "You were to become the youngest Magi Warrior ever. Quite an accomplishment for a 9 year old."

"10. . .I am 10. And I will become a Magi Warrior and I will always protect my town. So if you want to hurt the citizens of Thamasa, you will have to go through me." She once again drew her dagger and was ready to attack.

"We have done this already. I will read your mind, and eventually I will win. So this has no point." He had a point, but Relm was never one to admit defeat.

"Fine, then. Move so I can go home." She took a step froward. The shadow took a step out of her way. 'Yes a clear shot home.' She started to run towards the exit, but she never made it.

"Sorry, I can't do that." He reached his right arm out in time to catch her before she could escape. Relm threw him her best death glare that she could muster. This was not how this was supposed to happen. She was supposed to be at the Mayor's home becoming the most famous mage ever. She was supposed to be protecting and helping, not being attacked and kidnaped.

"Why? What about me? What does this have to do with me?" She was screaming. _'I am sick of being weak. I don't want anyone's help. I need to do this alone, but I am still not strong enough.'_

"I am sorry to say that this has everything to do with you. The problem is . . ." Phantom didn't know what to say. '_This is so much harder than I thought. I should never have chosen such a small girl to do this. Destiny has forced my hand again.'_ He chuckled slightly. "The problem is that no human is allowed to see an esper and live."

"You are. . .going to kill me? No, you can't do this!" She started to cry again. She struggled against his strong grip. If she could move her hands she could at least cast a spell on him. But, no. She had her arms pinned to her sides by his huge hands.

"No, I would never kill you. I could never kill a human. Remember I am a 'shadow' and when was the last time you saw a shadow kill someone?"

"But you said nobody could see you and live. . ." She was interrupted

"No, I said no human could see me and live."

"But, I am human. So either let me go or kill me." She slowly shook her head. She was getting stupider. _'Dammit, never tell a creepy shadow phantom to kill you.'_

"All I have to do is make sure you are not human when you leave here." With that he lifted her into the air and a light surrounded her. She was back in the cavern with the goddess statues, but there was something different now. The statues were glowing and slowly getting brighter. '_Goddesses, what is he going to do to me._'

"Goddesses, I have come to ask of you a request." He spoke loudly and clearly like it was some kind of ritual. "You sent me on a mission and I have returned. I ask of you to give this child the power she will need. You know of the destiny and the future. Save this world and the Esper's world along with it. Give this human the power to stop the Empire." The light exploded into the room.

She had no idea of what was happening, only that the light was blinding her. Phantom, still holding her around the waist, put her into the middle of the circle that the three goddess statues made and took a step back. Relm stood on her own and realized that the light filled everywhere but where she was standing, like standing in the eye of a hurricane, everything around her was in turmoil while she stood perfectly still and safe. She was safe until she saw the Goddess Statues. . . Instead of all looking forward towards the entrance to the cavern, they were all staring at her.

The statues seemed to each have an emotion. The one on Relm's left seemed to be happy; suddenly a voice sounded in her head, "Don't fear. You will complete your destiny and save this world." The one straight infront of her looked like it was crying. "I'm sorry. You have done nothing to deserve this harsh future you shall live." The one on her right seemed to be angry. "This can not be the one. She will never survive this trial." Whispers. . . '_This can't be real. I am listening to statues decide my destiny.'_

"We have decided," All of the voices spoke in unison, "You have the choice to save the world and risk death, or let fate take its course and live a normal life. Your future . . . Your choice."

"Yes, my future!" Relm yelled. "Mine. Not a phantom's, not yours, and not fate's. This is mine. I would rather die tomorrow than live by someone else's rules." The statues seemed to be satisfied with the answer. . .but they weren't. Relm thought what she said was the truth, and it was. But the goddesses saw the future and knew that Relm was exactly right. . . She would die tomorrow living by her own rules.

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Hahahaha. . .Well whats it matter anyway nobody is reading my story so why am I even writing this. . .Thats right cause it is fun Hahaha. Well, tune in next time to find out what happens to Relm.

Will Relm die? Well I just told you she would.

Will this writer ever get a clue? Hey, don't talk bad about me while I am still sitting here.

What is going to happen next? I know the answer to that one. You will read the next chapter.


	4. When Good Girls Die Young

Well, if you don't know the / _blah /_ thing is a flashback. I will use it alot.

Well, if you haven't figured it out the black creature is an esper from the game. The name is Phantom. And here are the stats.

Level Bonus: MP +10.  
Attack: Fader  
Spells: Berserk, Vanish, Demi

The spells Phantom knows will come into play later in the story as well as some other ones that I chose. Well, I just wanted to clear that up and say that I really enjoy writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Disclaimer: Well I decided that if I had a million dollars I would not buy FF3 (FF6). I would buy Relm and Rydia from FF2 (FF4). I would buy Aeris (FF7), Selphie (FF8), Eiko (FF9), and Rikku (FF10). Yeah my fav females. I love Final Fantasy. Wait this is supposed to be a disclaimer. . . Well I don't own any of it. Okay, leave me alone. And this is a famous quote but I still don't know who said it.

Chapter 4When Good Girls Die Young

Someday you are bound to lose everything.  
Everyone around you will be gone.  
Squall Lionheart Final Fantasy 8

'_Where in the hell am I?' _Relm stood up. _'Okay I was reading the goddess statue's inscription. Then I was leaving. . .Now where am I?_' She looked around. She was standing near the mountain range looking towards the sunrise. _'Sunrise? How long have I been away?'_ She looked around and started heading north-east, towards Thamasa.

This would be. . .interesting. Relm was supposed to have returned before sunset or there would be a search party sent after her. She must have been gone for at least 24 hours. She was looking around when she saw something on the horizon. Something black. . .It was getting bigger. . .Wait. There was something bright directly under it. _'NO!'_

But, Relm's denial meant nothing. Thamasa was being burnt to the ground. She ran faster than she ever thought possible. When she got to the front gate she realized that the fire wasn't the worst part. There were men dressed in brown uniforms in magitek armor herding civilians into the center of the city. Relm had only ever heard of magitek armor. Now she could see its power first hand. The armor made the soldiers look twice as tall as normal men. The armor also gave them the ability to shoot magical beams much stronger than any of the mage's magic.

All of the people of Relm's home were either scattered on the ground dead or standing in the middle of their small town scared senseless. All of the strongest mages were left helpless. Then she saw Strago. He was looking frantically around. Then he saw her. He was so relieved to see her he started towards her when one of the soldiers grabbed him.

"Sir Kefka, what should we do with the mages?" The soldier looked towards a man that looked quite a lot like a clown. He was wearing a lot of make-up and laughing maniacally. "Well, are they of any use to the Empire? NO! So, I don't want them to live."

'_Grandpa! My people didn't do anything. Our homes, our lives, ended for no reason._' She screamed. No, she didn't scream; she howled. A noise that sounded almost inhuman and could chill the blood of men.

Relm lunged forward through the gate to the invaders. She yelled in anguish and rage beyond measure. She lost control of everything. Relm didn't know what she was doing when she plowed into the first soldier she saw. She watched, as though in a dream, as she head butted him in the gut and then pounded a hole straight through his armor. She couldn't stop herself.

Before she knew it, he was dead. She had no time to think about that though, for she was already moving on to the next soldier. By now all the people had heard her cry for revenge and were watching her. Keftka watched with a sick fixation as she vanish into thin air. She was nowhere to be seen but the soldier she had been attacking was doubled over in pain. The soldier then fell backwards as a fireball was fired from directly in front of him; hitting him point blank in the face.

Now it was Kefka's turn to attack. He sent a powerful thunderbolt to exactly where the fire ball had come from. _Thud! _Relm hit the ground. She was almost completely unconscious when she heard, "Now this is what I wanted to find." Cue the crazy laugh. "I haven't seen this strong of magic in a human since. . .Well, myself." She was being lifted into the air. "That berserk spell was the strongest I have ever seen. This little witch will do nicely."

Relm awoke in a jail cell. It was smelly and dark and dirty. "Gross!" She heard footsteps approaching the cell's door. Another one of the soldiers in brown uniforms was looking in through the bars. She quickly stood up and glared at the soldier. "Where am I?"

"You are in a cell. Can't you figure that one out by yourself?" The soldier held a satisfied smirk.

"Sure, make fun of a little kid." She sat down with her back towards the bars. "I bet you feel really tough now." The soldier heard soft sobs coming from the cell. "Calm down. I'm sorry." The soldier lifted his keys and began unlocking the door. Meanwhile, with her back still towards the guard, Relm smiled. '_Cha-ching. Finally my acting classes paid off.' _

"Don't you touch that door!" The guard turned to where the voice came from. "Sir Kefka." He saluted the crazy clown. "I was just checking on the prisoner."

"You idiot! Didn't anybody tell you why she is here?" The guard looked at Kefka with confusion. "You are so incompetent. This 'child' fried 2 soldiers in magitek armor in less than 30 seconds. She didn't even raise a sweat. This child is to die at dawn for crimes against the Empire."

"Oh, I get it. She is dangerous." (Brilliant isn't he.)

"Shut up and wait out in the hallway." The guard looked first at Relm, still curled up on the floor, and then at Kefka, who was looking more dangerous than usual. Finally, he shrugged and left the room. That left a psychopathic killer and a 10 year old girl alone in a jail together. (Does that sound weird?)

Kefka looked her over. She looked like a typical child. Short, blonde curls for hair. She was wearing an out fit that almost looked like it was made for little red riding hood. She looked absolutely normal. '_But where did that magical power come from last night.' _This could be a problem. He needed her power but if he couldn't figure out how to get it from her, how could her use it?

Relm realized that the creep was staring at her. She once again stood up and glared. "What do you want? If you want to stare at something go to a freak show." '_Kid's got quite an attitude_.'

Kefka simply shook his head. "One day your attitude is going to get you killed." Relm shook her head. "Well, you said you were going to kill me today. So today is that day." She surprised herself how well she was taking it. She knew that she would die and wouldn't let them make her cry.

Kefka said, "Well, it depends on what you consider death." Relm thought for a second. 'Death is what happens in the absence of life. It when you can no longer live the way you were meant to.' She refused to talk to this killer anymore, and told him so. "Fine, I will leave you to think of death. May the Goddess' have mercy on your soul." Relm sat down. "May they have no mercy on yours." She muttered.

It was about 10 minutes till dawn and Relm was forced to wait just a little longer. She had accepted death as a natural part of life long ago, but she had never expected it so soon. '_I hope Grandpa is okay.'_ She never realized how long 10 minutes was.

Finally she heard footsteps. Someone unlocked the door, but she never turned to see the person. She stared out the window. _'I'll miss everything._' She stood up and turned around. In the doorway stood a girl about 18. She had long blonde hair and was wearing white armor. "I . . um. . . It is time to go." The woman's voice was almost musical; she sounded like a singer struggling to remember the words to her song.

Relm walked up to the woman, who was a foot taller than her, and nodded. The older woman led the way to the top of the castle-like building. Once on the roof, she realized how huge this building was. There was a giant staircase leading up to a small building. At the bottom of the stairs stood Kefka, a general, and a man in royal robes. The girl with Relm walked over to stand next to the general. They all stood there assessing her. Kefka finally broke the silence. "This is the witch from Thamasa." Kefka leaned over to the man in royal robes and whispered in his ear.

Relm, never one to wait, said, "So, how is this execution thingy gonna work?" Everyone looked at her like she just yelled, "Hi, I am related to a flying-purple, people eating monkey." Kefka finally spoke again, "How did you develop your magical powers?"

"Didn't you know? Everyone in Thamasa can use magic."

"Not everyone can use Esper's magic."

"Esper?" She had heard that recently. . .Where? Leaving the cave. . .Running. . . Darkness. . . Teleported. . .Back at the goddess statues. Someone said, 'All I have to do is make sure you are not human when you leave here.' That was it. She wasn't human. What was she?

She sat down right where she was standing. The wind whipped her blonde hair infront of her face. Her eyes teared up.

'_I said I wouldn't cry for the execution.'_ She told herself

'_But you didn't know you weren't human. Give yourself a break._' Finally she let the tears fall down her face. She looked up and the blonde girl was leaning down beside her. Relm's big emerald eyes met the older woman's blue. There was something there. She didn't want this to happen.

The girl stood-up and turned in one soft motion. "This is just a child. She can't control her powers yet. I will not let her die because she is inexperienced." She said it plainly, but everyone knew that to challenge her would mean death. "Emperor Gehstal, I beg of you, do not sentence this child to death."

"The thought had never crossed my mind, General Celes." That was the man in the royal robes.

Relm still on the floor, was shocked. "I was told I was going to die."

"You shall die but you shall not be put to death." Relm shock her head. '_This makes no sense. I don't care anymore.'_

"Kefka, she is now in your custody." The Emperor turned to Kefka. "You told me that you could use her magic for me. You had better keep your word." Pause. "That attack on Thamasa was expensive, I expect you to make good use of the resources I have given you."

Kefka simply nodded and walked towards Relm. At first the woman stood infront of her, but when Kefka walked up to her she turned her head away and moved aside. Kefka grabbed Relm's wrist tightly and took her up another set of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a room that looked to small to be of any importance.

He pulled her inside mumbling, "That Gehstal. . .Thinks he runs this place. I have been running the show since I got here. 'Use your resources.' Baaa." The room was covered in machinery. All of it was far beyond Relm's comprehension. Kefka pushed her into a chair in the center of the room. Relm sat there and examined all of the trinkets.

Kefka stood behind her picking up something. She turned around to look and heard, "Sit in the chair properly or I will strap you to it." She quickly sat down in the chair. Suddenly shackles came out from the chair and ensnared her legs and wrists. She struggled but to no avail. Kefka walked around to look at her. He was carrying what looked like a silver crown with tiny levers on it.

Kefka took another step closer. "With this crown I'll practically own you." He laughed and stepped forward again. "Then I will be able to have my ultimate weapon." He was standing over her now. "The only problem is. . .A child can't be that scary of a weapon. Maybe after this is done I can fix that." He put the crown on her head. Slowly, she began to think back to childhood.

_/Mom stood by the fire. There was a knock on the door. I was downstairs in the crib. Yelling. They wanted Daddy. Screams./_

_/ Grandpa picking me up. He had been crying. He said he was sorry. Hoped I would forget. There was so much blood. Poor Mommy /_

Slowly all of the memories were gone. Relm looked around frantically. _'Where am I?'_ Then she realized something, _'Who am I?_' Kefka laughed. "Just a few more seconds." Relm's emerald eyes blinked rapidly. She clenched her eyes shut. When she opened her eyes, they weren't the same. There was no sparkle of life or hope. They were dull and lifeless.

Kefka looked at her and nodded. Relm's head mimicked his movement. This body was now lifeless. Relm Arrowny was dead. Her body was still functioning but by Relm's definition, she was dead.

Did you really think I would actually kill Relm? Come on. She is the best. Her definition for death was. 'Death is what happens in the absence of life. It when you can no longer live the way you were meant to.' I thought it was cool. . .Fine don't agree with me. Just please review.


	5. Innocent Children

Okay this chapter is what is happening to another character while Relm is out of the picture. This is the blonde soldier that witnessed the 'trial.' Needless to say this might not be the most interesting. I just needed to get the feeling for what was happening while Relm was busy. Have fun and remember to review.

Disclaimer: If you haven't figured this one out yet then you are stupider than you look. I'm not saying that you look stupid or anything but you know. . .Well I don't own it. Fine rub it in.

Chapter 5 Innocent Children

Dreams only have one owner at a time.  
That's why dreamers are so lonely.  
Erma Bombeck

She opened her eyes and saw gold. Quickly she sat up and looked around as her golden hair fell out of her eyes. Celes Chere was still in her quarters at the imperial capital of Vector. She stood up slowly and pulled back her long blonde hair. _'Can't take it anymore.'_ Celes had been having horrible nightmares lately. Ever since that little girl's trial. '_What did they do to her?_'

Celes wore her usual snow white armor and her matching cape. She examined herself in the mirror, her long hair, delicate white skin, and deep sea blue eyes. _'I almost match my nickname. Hmm. . .' _Ice Queen. It seemed to fit her quite well. She never let anyone past her 'wall of ice,' and she didn't have a problem with that. She never needed help or wanted company. But lately, she was wondering about that little girl.

'_She couldn't have been more than 11 maybe 10. What would Kefka do to her? Wait, better question, what wouldn't he do to her?'_ The thought made her shudder. It had been almost a month since the trial, and nobody had seen the girl or Kefka. Celes was going to find out what happened.

She walked from her room straight to Emperor Gehstal's throne room. As usual he was sitting there, and as usual he was giving more orders than he had people to carry them out. "What do you mean? We have plenty of soldiers! If you need more go. . .We occupied the village of Miranda recently correct? Well, go draft men from that village."

Thinking of Miranda made Celes want to go back to bed. While occupying Miranda, Celes' troops met some resistance. One of her soldiers started to burn houses down. Now, she was known as the general that torched Miranda, and she got a special medal from the Emperor. 'Why give out medals to people who just can't keep their troops in line? Why give medals for burning down a few buildings?'

"General Celes!" Emperor Gehstal looked absolutely perky. "Feeling better? I was told that you had been ill lately."

Celes' eyes locked with the floor. How could she say this without the emperor questioning her loyalty. "I. . . believe I am having . . .concern about a prisoner." Celes slowly raised her eyes to me Gehstal's. He looked slightly confused.

"Is it how we treated a specific prisoner?"

"I was concerned for the girl from Thamasa. The one you put in Kefka's custody. Nobody has seen her or Kefka lately and. . .Well. She was just a child." Celes was quite done explaining herself. But it seemed that the emperor understood.

"She is being used for genetic experimentation. Much like you were." That froze her heart._ 'She would be in Kefka's experiments. That poor girl.'_ Celes turned to leave. "Celes, you should know something. That girl is not what she seems. If Kefka is correct she could be the greatest weapon this empire has ever seen. Remember, never let your feelings get in the way of the empire's goals. I never thought I would have to tell you that, Celes."

"I know. I wish your forgiveness for this intrusion." Celes knew he would say that it was no problem. She left the room quickly. Celes' entire life was going down hill. She could remember the first day of her experimentation.

_/ "Cid, I don't wanna." I was 4 at the first session. "Honey, this will make you stronger. You won't have to be sad and alone anymore." Cid had raised me like a father, but had no clue how to talk to children. "But, Cid I don't wanna be stronger. I just wanna go home." I started to cry. "I told you, Celes, call me dad." I had a dad and it wasn't Cid. "But, Cid. . ." Then he left me alone. I was sitting on an operating table, in a small room, by myself. I never wanted any of this. /_

She was walking down the hallway when she bumped into General Leo. "General Celes, good to see you are back to duty." Had everyone known how she felt?

"Leo, can I talk to you alone?" When he agreed, she walked into the training center. It was loud enough that nobody could hear their conversation except them. "Leo, what do you know about Thamasa?"

Leo had obviously not been expecting that. "Well, uhh. . .until recently nobody even knew it existed. The village is completely made of descendants from the warriors during the War of the Magi. They used espers to gain magical powers, although nobody knows how they did it without using high tech machines like we have today. Everyone in the village can use magic. And let me guess, this has something to do with Relm."

"Who?" Celes had never heard that name before.

"Well, that was the girl who we took from Thamasa. She is under Kefka's charge now."

'_At least now I know her name.'_ "Well, kinda. I was just worried for some reason. She was only a child and who knows what Kefka is capable of."

General Leo gave his usual answer. "You don't have to trust him. You just have to trust that Emperor Gehstal knows what he is doing."

"Okay." With that, she left. She couldn't take anymore, so she went back out on the roof. There she saw Kefka. He was back to his usual mad rantings and was jumping around like a lunatic. "Kefka." Celes said loudly, trying hard to hide the hatred she was feeling towards him.

"Ohhh, general." A wicked smiled was curving its way onto his lips. "Perfect timing. I would like to show you my newest creation." He turned his back to her and yelled towards the staircase. "Come here now!"

Celes was afraid of what he had done to the little girl, Relm. She was surprised when a girl about her own age walked down the steps. '_At least Relm wasn't involved in the experiments yet_.' The woman, of about 18, had long blonde curls that bounced when she walked. The girl walked down the steps with perfect grace; seemed to be flawless. The long red dress she was wearing was tight until it reached her hips and then flared out at the end. There was a

see-through material on her arms that showed off how long and slender they were. By any mans standards, she was gorgeous.

Celes wondered something out loud, "Where did you find this girl?"

Maniacal laughter. "Well, in Thamasa."

Celes was angry. "You told the emperor that you only took one prisoner."

"Oh, right you were never formally introduced. Celes meet Relm." The girl in the red dress nodded her head. And Celes looked positively shocked. She walked over to the girl and examined her face. The girl was about 5'5 and actually looked quite a bit like Celes. The once bright emerald eyes were now dull, but there was no doubt about it. This young woman was the 10 year old girl she had met only a month earlier.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Celes was infuriated now. He had stolen this innocent child's life. She lost about 8 years that she would never be able to get back.

"I have managed to isolate a growth hormone that, when activated, will age the patient until stopped by a mechanical means."

Slowly Celes said, "How old is she now?"

"Let us see. . .She is 19 years old." Kefka looked evilly from Relm to Celes. "And tomorrow she has her first mission. She is going to Narshe to recover an esper." He laughed again.

That was it. Celes snapped. Before Kefka knew what was happening Celes' fist made contact with his face. He was on the ground screaming at her. "Bl. . .Blo. . .Blood! YOU MADE ME BLEED!" He was screaming at the top of his lungs. No sooner had he finished yelling, there were 5 guards running up to the roof.

"Sir Kefka, what is the matter?"

"This little traitor," He screamed, "hit me. She hit me." The guards were either impressed, confused, angry, or a mixture of those three.

Slowly one of the guards said, "Umm, General Celes. . .ma'am. I am going to have to place you under arrest."

"Yeah, I was expecting that." She walked off surrounded by the guards. She looked back only once to glare at Kefka. Then she walked down the stairs.

"And she had such promise. . ." Kefka slowly shook his head and then smiled. "Oh, well. I now have a weapon far stronger than Celes. And tomorrow," he stood right in front of Relm, "You will prove that you were worth all of this effort." Kefka leaned forward and kissed Relm on the cheek. "You should be careful on your journey tomorrow. I wouldn't want you to bruise that pretty face of yours."

Kefka returned to his room and left Relm to return to her own. She could only remember simple orders. . .but there was a little bit of her left. And what little there was left of her made her lift up her arm and wipe off the spot where Kefka's lips had touched her skin.

Finally! This is the part where the game actually comes into play. Well, I thought maybe it would be good to set up a background for Celes in the Empire. I don't know what to do about Terra though. Any ideas?


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